Abbie Coffey

Luke 5:31 Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." Jesus' response as to why he was eating with "sinners" reiterates his true purpose on earth.  The Pharisees, based out of their own misunderstanding of what the Savior was sent to do, completely missed Jesus' purpose.  The Pharisees, one, did not see a need to be saved because they did not view themselves as sinners as they were perfect observers of the law, and two, they were expecting the Savior to come as an earthly king.  Both of these thoughts caused them to miss the Savior altogether.  Even today, we can get caught in the trap of thinking we are doing pretty well and begin working on our own "health".  These actions cloud our view and we lose sight of the reason for Jesus.  We are sinners and it is His job to save us AND make us fit for heaven.  We can also get lost in our culture of plenty and desire for domination.  We want Jesus to be a king of earth...

James 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. For some reason this spoke to me as a leadership statement.  I suppose because I've been back at work this week, I am focused on my role as a leader.  Wisdom from heaven is what I desire as a leader.  When we are sharing with others and leading them through crucial moments in life, sometimes our tendency is to become the "been there, done that" type of personality.  However, God's wisdom is never condescending toward us.  This hits me personally.  Sometimes I think God must look down on me and my idiocracy and think, "Seriously, Abbie?  Again, we are having this same conversation?"  But God is never exasperated with me (even if I am exasperated with myself).  He is full of mercy and seeks to give me peace.  He doesn't compare me with others.  He loves me and leads m...

Luke 11:9 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." This verse comes after the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray and He gives them the Lord's Prayer.  After he says the prayer, he follows it with the parable of the friend in need of bread, which I find interesting.  The friend needing bread will get it, as Jesus says, because of his persistence.  I don't think Jesus was encouraging us to be squeaky wheels in prayer.  I believe Jesus' point in telling the parable on the heels of the Lord's Prayer is that he was simply encouraging the disciples to continually talk to God, no fanciness needed.  In all things by prayer and supplication… We need to be active participants in prayer throughout our day, having little conversations with God as we go.  Prayer is not meant to only be a set time to sit down and talk to God.  We don't need to have the perfect prayer formula either...

2 Corinthians 6:10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. I just really like these words from Paul.  They speak to my soul.  The gain from living life in Resurrection is exactly these words.  The heart may be sad, but the deep joy of Christ is always the still water within.  Making many rich is the gift of Kingdom wealth.  In Kingdom wealth, we are heirs with Jesus.  There is also richness in the relationship Jesus has with God. We can be in communion with God in the same way Jesus was on Earth because of Jesus.  He paid the debt and therefore we are reconnected with God in the way He intended at the very start of all things in the Garden.  Therein is the true richness.  The last little bit is my absolute favorite.  Having nothing, surrendering all.  A resurrection relationship with Jesus Christ is the very definition of having nothing, yet possessing everything....

Ephesians 5:17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. I have been disappointed with my summer.  I had so many plans and none of them came to fruition.  Then, looking forward to the coming year, I was feeling a bit disappointed about that too.  I was trying to understand the will of God in my current circumstances, but I just seemed to be stuck.  Then it hit me.  I have been making all of my life about me.  That is why I have been living in disappointment.  My life is not about me.  My life is Jesus.  God is working out His perfect will in my life to impact others.  My self-pity and disappointment is all related to what I want.  In reality, I want what God wants and I have become foolish enough to lose sight of that.  It's time to recalibrate and get my eyes fixated on Jesus and the Spirit's work in and through my life.  My current circumstances are affecting others for Christ.  It's not...

1 Kings 8:22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: Pray for those who are brought to mind today… When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. -1 Kings 8:54

1 Kings 8:22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: Pray for the world-wide church...

1 Kings 8:22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: Pray for those who are sick and hurting...

1 Kings 8:22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: Pray for the world...

1 Kings 8:22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: Pray for friends...

1 Kings 8:22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: Pray for co-workers...

This is a week of prayer.  I will use the same verse each day, but will pray over different topics each day.  I encourage you to kneel down each day you pray and spread out your arms, just as King Solomon did. 1 Kings 8:22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: Pray for family...

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. - Hebrews 13:20-21

Matthew 16:12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. I was thinking about the teaching of the Pharisees and how it was all about keeping the law and head knowledge of God.  The Pharisees knew what to sacrifice for which sins, how often, and so on.  I was thinking about how we might equate this teaching to today's culture, and it struck me, it's the self-help culture of today.  Self-help is not a bad thing on its face.  The issue occurs when your relationship with Christ takes a self-help turn; then it becomes the yeast in the dough.  Self-help in Christianity is living in the "I give this much, and God will give me this much.  I volunteer because that's what Jesus would do.  I've read this five step book on how to love the unlovable, and practice it." (I don't think that's an actual book, by the way…at least I hope it isn't.)  Here's ...

Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. When I asked God what He wanted to tell me tonight, I got the word "wait".  I have no idea what it is in reference to, so I will be spending the next few days with my eyes and ears open to listen for His continued leading.  While I wait, I will spend time in continued prayer each time He lays this word on my heart.  I will spend quiet solitude with God and focus on this word.  I will listen to my trusted family and friends in conversation.  Hopefully these will give me a clearer picture of why this word has been put in my heart.  Is God calling you to wait for something in particular?  What will you do in the meantime?

Revelation 21:5-6 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life." It is so hard to find a new stride with Mom being gone.  I get moving along this new path finding my steps and then I am halted and have to take a moment to just soak it in again.  There is nothing that is the same without her.  Every single thing is affected by her not being here.  That is why finding a new stride on this journey is just tricky.  With time, it gets better, but sometimes the awkwardness of her absence is just overwhelming.  I've found that even in times when I wouldn't normally have thought of her, I now do.  There are no words to help with this.  One of the most painful statements people have...

Ephesians 3:12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Jesus bridged the gap between God and man, which also allowed for all people to come to God, not just the nation of Israel.  In approaching the throne with confidence, it means that we no longer need to feel the shame that Adam and Eve felt in the garden.  We can be free knowing that God knows who we are at our darkest moments and those are exactly why He sent His son.  Jesus died for us while we were still sinners, showing the love of the Father for all of creation.  We are free to come to God through Jesus and can rest assured in the confidence of what lies ahead because of him.  At the throne  of grace there is no shame, guilt or fear.  Love, freedom, and assurance are offered through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Let us approach the throne of grace through Jesus and meet our Creator so that we may experience the depth of His love for us.

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. I don't really have any thoughts for today.  I am still feeling a little on the low side of the mountain right now.  I am in that place where you feel like everything is just a lull.  This verse reminds me that God is using all things, even the lull, to prepare me for the journey and to complete the work He is doing in me.  At moments I wish I could see ahead to know what this valley is preparing me to do, but I know that in the grand scheme of it all, I don't really want to know what's coming.  This too shall pass, it's just taking a relatively long time to get somewhere on this road.  There is value in the journey.  The desert has meaning.  The Israelites received manna from Heaven, but they completely missed the depth of what God had provided.  I don't want to miss the deeper meaning in the desert pa...

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. I like this verse because it is so life giving in the way it is written.  As I was typing it out, I was thinking  how differently we might each see different thoughts.  What one might say is noble, another might say is disrespectful.  What one might say is right, another might say is wrong.  This seems so subjective.  How do we know what is excellent and praiseworthy?  We must rely on the Spirit to speak to our hearts and reveal those thoughts which God views as true, right, noble, etc.  The other side is that we must pay attention to the Spirit's prompting to our thoughts that are not in line with God's views.  We cannot go about our day in complete denial that what we are thinking is completely okay with God because someo...

Father, many thanks for new relationships that grow deep in you.  I am grateful for the way you provide the perfect experiences and people to draw us closer to you, for friends who can empathize and share personal stories, and for places where you reveal your beauty and renew our hope.  Lord you are like none other.  You love on us in the midst of our chaos.  You bring us rest in the bustle of life.  You fill our spirits to overflowing.  Thank you for the way you care for us.

Song of Songs 6:9 But my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the only daughter of her mother, the favorite of the one who bore her.  The maidens saw her and called her blessed; the queens and concubines praised her. I have been wrestling with the word 'beloved' being used by Jesus to describe me.  Encouraged by a pastor friend to contemplate the sin in my life that I had not confessed to God, the Spirit revealed to me why I was not able to allow Jesus to call me His beloved.  I have a bad habit of self-deprecation.  It might be in jest, at times, but for the most part it is not.  I was convicted by the Spirit.  I wrote the word in sand and prayed for God to begin to work in me to change my bad habit.  Once I prayed that prayer, the veil was lifted and I could see why Jesus would call me beloved.  The focus verse is just a touch of how He sees me.  In preparation of what God is going to do with my heart, I swept over the sand with my hand to ...

John 16:33 "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.  In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." This is Jesus speaking to the disciples of things to come.  Just today I was lamenting the fact that I'm tired and worn.  I am ready to go to the mountaintop with God for a bit.  The valley has been long.  (An aside, I don't know how many mountaintop experiences Jesus actually had.  Just a thought.)  Jesus knew we would have trouble of all sorts.  He spoke these encouraging words in John 16.  The peace I experience daily and I don't have fear of the valley for I know, in the depths of my soul, that Jesus has won the battle.  My need today is to either audibly hear Him say the words, "Take heart!" or get to the mountaintop. It's just the valley versus the mountain right now.  I'm hopeful that the mountaintop is very close.

Genesis 3:8 The the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. The captivity of Satan in this moment really struck me today.  After eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve become captives of Satan.  They lose focus on God and His providence and begin to take over their own lives, right then and there.  Their peace is completely taken from them.  When God comes to the garden, they hide themselves from Him, not because they are naked, they've covered themselves, but because they are captives.  They cannot even begin to think about being in the presence of God because they have been bound by the evil one.  Thankfully, the story of humanity doesn't end there.  When Jesus comes, He sets mankind free from Satan's captivity.  When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior allowing Him to heal our wounds, we b...

Song of Songs 6:3 I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine; he browses among the lilies. Today I am thinking through my relationship with Jesus.  The word beloved fits Him so beautifully.  It is the exact sentiment I feel for Him.  My big struggle today and using the word beloved in reverse, from Jesus to me.  For some reason that word seems to sacred to attach to myself.  I understand the depth of Jesus' love for me, the fact that He cares for me beyond measure and loves me unconditionally through all of my ick.  For some reason, I just can't get to the word beloved for myself.  I will be continuing to grasp this for a while, I have a feeling.  I'm not sure if it is a struggle of my own worth or a struggle of my misconception of the word or just a lie I am being fed.  I will be going deeper with God to figure that out.  His banner over me is love, that I know without any doubt.  What word comes to mind when you think of Jesus and...

Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. This verse is perfect for today.  I sit and think on the goodness of God, the way he protects and helps, the way he loves and supports.  There is no one in all the earth who cares for us as He does.  The part that is the most pertinent for me today is the Lord as my shield.  I was pondering the way the Lord shields us.   Sometimes we think of a shield as a parent might try to shield their children, keeping them from having to feel pain or suffering.  God does not shield us as a parent.  God shields us as our Creator.  He knows which experiences will shape us into the new creation we are in Him.  God is a shield to our hearts and our souls in the pain and suffering, but He does not shield us from experiencing it altogether because ultimately those are the things which draw us closest to Him....

Titus 3:4-6 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, I spent lots of quiet time with God today.  Not talking or anything, just being.  I read several scripture passages before I finally settled on this one from Titus.  This is a passage that has so much in it and I had to keep going with the verses, hence the 3 verses today.  I love all of the words of this passage.  There is so much here, but I will focus on "the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit".  Both of these must go hand in hand for us to truly get the fullness of who Jesus is in our lives.  We must be washed by the blood of the lamb on the cross to gain a rebirth into a sinless life.  Our sin separated us from God and Jesus i...

Prayer for today is a word from Paul… Hebrews 13:20-21  May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

James 2:17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. What I love about faith in the living Christ is that it produces actions that one could not do on one's own power.  Having faith is the first step in the journey.  The next step is to let that faith take hold and allow God to remove the imperfect pieces of our lives and fill those spaces with the Spirit.  Once we have the Spirit taking hold, we find that out of our heart come the actions that show that Jesus is not dead.  We become the people we would hope to be, those who love on others because we cannot but help ourselves, just as Jesus did.  Believing in Jesus is not enough.  Satan believes in Jesus.  Accepting Jesus' finished work on the cross, claiming it as your own, and surrendering your life to the Spirit's work in your life is how we live a life of faith in action.  It's all through the One who did it with grace, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Luke 24:38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?" (Jesus speaking to the disciples when he appeared to them after his resurrection.)  I feel as though Jesus was asking me this question today.  My struggle has been seeing the situations in and around my life and discerning His movements and purpose.  We are so quick to jump to judgement of what we think God must be, or not be, up to.  Why is that?  Doubts pop up so easily and run amuck within the mind.  We take the crummy parts of life and run with them, believing the silliest lies that Satan throws at us.  The disciples had the resurrected Jesus in the room with them to show who He really was.  They could see his scars and watch him eat.  Where is the resurrected Jesus in our situations when we become troubled and begin to doubt?  Wouldn't it be something if Jesus physically appeared at those times?  Fortunately, we don't need Jesus to phys...

…I have prayer… Lord help me to trust in you.  Remind me of your providence and the way you take care of all of our needs.  Lord I pray that you would remove the fear and anxiety that come along with not trusting you.  Lord I know you have us in your hand and that you have a perfect plan with perfect timing.  Please help me to see this plan and to become comfortable with your timing.  Please reassure me that you are remembering us and that you are getting the details into place.  Bind the evil one as we walk this journey of absolute faith.  I ask for speed in this situation.  Thank you. Amen.

1 Peter 1:22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brother, love one another deeply, from the heart. There is so much divisiveness in our world today.  There are many, many issues that cause us to choose sides.  This hurts my heart.  I do not understand our human nature that wants to be right and have every little thing go our own way.  And when it does not go our way, we become frustrated, volatile, and hurtful to the very ones we deeply loved moments before.  How can we love one another deeply from the heart when we share completely opposite viewpoints?  I look to Jesus.  He hung around prostitutes, crooked tax collectors, mouthy fishermen and got along with them all.  I think it is safe to say, because Jesus said it, that Jesus didn't agree with every single thing these people thought or did.  As a matter of fact, in some cases he had completely opposite viewpoints.  Yet th...